Model Train Media | BMR777 | Activity

BMR777 posted an update: EJ&E 306 takes a couple of cars over the bridge to […]

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 20:07:44 +0100

EJ&E 306 takes a couple of cars over the bridge to a customer anxiously awaiting their Saturday delivery.

BMR777 posted an update: Sometimes part of layout building is just ensuring the […]

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 22:59:25 +0100

Sometimes part of layout building is just ensuring the space for your layout looks nice.

My train room with my shelf layout is also my home office. I installed some new wall mounted lights and repositioned a few things as I plan on expanding to a 10ft by 2ft shelf layout with a potential additional 2ft or 4ft extention at the end.

Also added…

BMR777 posted an update: Added the finishing touches to my HO 4ft by 2ft […]

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 22:52:30 +0100

Added the finishing touches to my HO 4ft by 2ft diorama today, road signs by ScaleSigns.com.

This piece is done but already planning on expanding to a 10ft by 2ft shelf layout, which I will start work on soon!

BMR777 posted a new activity comment

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 21:56:14 +0100

That’s some interesting observations. I think from an American perspective, unless you live in a city or dense urban area you’re not regularly going to see passenger trains, just freight. Even if you do see passenger trains, they take a back seat to freight, since most of the tracks in the US are owned by freight railroads.

I think in the US…

In reply to - Thaisen posted an update

One thing I noticed when I stared to delve into the english part of Model Railroad Youtube was how different the layout across the big pond seem to be build. Here people usually […]

BMR777 posted an update: Need easy benchwork but don't want to use power tools? […]

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 02:54:48 +0100

Need easy benchwork but don’t want to use power tools? I just picked up three of these shelves for $55 total on Amazon and plan to use them for my bench work.

I will place some 2x4s on top and use the shelves as legs, making for a sturdy surface for my shelf layout at a perfect height of about 30in off the ground, which is perfect when…

BMR777 posted an update: Since creating my 4ft by 2ft diorama I've posted […]

Sun, 28 Dec 2025 23:41:46 +0100

Since creating my 4ft by 2ft diorama I’ve posted about before, I’ve been thinking of making a shelf layout along the back corner of my home office using the first 4ft by 2ft section as a starting point.

I ultimately have a 10ft by 2ft section available, with the last 2ft having the ability to stick out a further 2ft, making an “L” shaped…

BMR777 posted an update: Added some trees to the 4x2 layout diorama, along with […]

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 19:26:09 +0100

Added some trees to the 4×2 layout diorama, along with some new shrubs and deer. Also finished the last bit of road striping.

The module is about 95% complete. Last step is to get some road signs installed but other than that its done. I’m really happy with how it turned out!

BMR777 posted an update: Added some new road paint and striping. A freshly […]

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 21:36:01 +0100

Added some new road paint and striping. A freshly paved main highway and a country road that’s seen better days.

BMR777 posted a new activity comment

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 15:18:31 +0100

@US_Z_Scale interesting. You going to screw the brackets into the wall or will your shelf be free standing? Not sure I want to attach mine to the wall at all.

In reply to - BMR777 posted an update

Anyone have any suggestions for easy benchwork for a shelf layout? I’ve been working on a 4ft by 2ft diorama to practice my scenery skills and now that I’m almost done with it I’m […]

BMR777 posted an update: Anyone have any suggestions for easy benchwork for a […]

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 23:36:38 +0100

Anyone have any suggestions for easy benchwork for a shelf layout? I’ve been working on a 4ft by 2ft diorama to practice my scenery skills and now that I’m almost done with it I’m thinking I might want to extend it into a shelf layout. I’ve got about a 10ft section along the back wall of my home office where I’m thinking of adding…

BMR777 posted a new activity comment

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 16:37:14 +0100

@dilley340 they don’t really have a lot of dedicated model railroading stuff, but they do have a large section (about half an aisle) which can be used for model railroading, usually scenery items like trees, grass, etc that also has crossover into the diorama / school project interests as well. You could probably get all of your scenery… Read more

In reply to - BMR777 posted an update

Got some great deals at Hobby Lobby yesterday. Love the trees and little deer I picked up for my layout.

BMR777 posted an update: Did some work today adding tufts to my layout, including […]

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 21:13:12 +0100

Did some work today adding tufts to my layout, including to the base of the billboard.

The billboard is from Menards. Letting everything dry now. Also added an island to the road using foam putty where I will eventually add a stop sign.

Next step is painting and striping the roads!

BMR777 posted an update: Got some great deals at Hobby Lobby yesterday. Love […]

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 19:35:23 +0100

Got some great deals at Hobby Lobby yesterday. Love the trees and little deer I picked up for my layout.

BMR777 posted an update in the group DIY and Digital Model Railroad Club: I just had an idea for a unique way to build a […]

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 23:02:57 +0100

I just had an idea for a unique way to build a model railroad that I’ve never seen anyone do before and wanted to share, especially because it would be cool to see Jimmy do this on the channel on a project layout.

I call it, “Same Scene, Different Time”. The idea is, you model the same scene on your layout twice, but in two different times. …

BMR777 posted a new activity comment

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 15:24:58 +0100

SCARM is my go to for track planning.

In reply to - Malcolm posted an update

Hi all, any recommendations for track planning software? I’m looking for something that makes those nice layout plans you see in magazines.

BMR777 posted an update: The train is around the tree, which means it's […]

Sat, 29 Nov 2025 22:05:01 +0100

The train is around the tree, which means it’s officially the start of the Christmas season in my house. I normally model HO scale, but for around the tree I break out my O scale Santa Fe set from Menards.

Having tried HO, O and G scale trains around the tree over the years I can say O scale fits best, hands down.

BMR777 posted an update: Got the ballasting done on my 2ft by 4ft diorama. I […]

Sat, 29 Nov 2025 18:58:03 +0100

Got the ballasting done on my 2ft by 4ft diorama. I learned some new tricks to make the ballast look better than on past layouts. These include using 91% isopropyl alcohol and using a pipette for applying the glue.

I found that if you apply the glue using the pipette on your ties you get the cleanest look. The glue washes the tie clean of…

BMR777 posted a new activity comment

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 16:36:25 +0100

Looks good! For added realism you could add small patches of fresh dark black pavement using black paint, which would represent any areas where they maybe patched a pothole or replaced an underground pipe.

In reply to - Modeltrainmedia posted an update

I started painting the roads on my layout restoration project!

I think now it is the right tint of gray. Let me know what you […]

BMR777 posted a new activity comment

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 02:55:49 +0100

@NScale_Doug I remember ballasting not being so tedious. I used isopropyl alcohol for the first time which added a new step to the process for me. I’m hoping this time the ballast dries solid, on past layouts there would always be weak parts after it dried where it would clump off.

In reply to - BMR777 posted an update

After being away from the hobby for a while, I forgot how time intensive it can be. I’m working on a 4ft by 2ft HO layout diorama to practice my scenery skills. I set out to ballast a […]

BMR777 posted a new activity comment

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 02:53:23 +0100

@NScale_Doug yep, the redoing is a thing. Had to redo my roads a few times to get them the way I wanted.

In reply to - BMR777 posted an update

After being away from the hobby for a while, I forgot how time intensive it can be. I’m working on a 4ft by 2ft HO layout diorama to practice my scenery skills. I set out to ballast a […]

BMR777 posted an update: After being away from the hobby for a while, I forgot […]

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 22:53:43 +0100

After being away from the hobby for a while, I forgot how time intensive it can be. I’m working on a 4ft by 2ft HO layout diorama to practice my scenery skills. I set out to ballast a 4ft section of track, one and a half hours later only had half of it ballasted and glued. Had to stop because I ran out of daylight and the room was…

BMR777 posted a new activity comment

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 17:38:01 +0100

Also, just thought of a new idea as you grow, a hobby shop directory. Charge hobby shops a small monthly or yearly fee for a listing and let users search for hobby / train shops near them or list online retailers. Might be a good way to bring in some extra income as you grow.

In reply to - Modeltrainmedia posted an update

Dear Model Train Enthusiasts,

First and foremost, I want to thank everyone wholeheartedly for all the valuable feedback. Your input is the engine that drives this platform. […]

BMR777 posted a new activity comment

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 17:34:27 +0100

Very cool Oscar, sounds like a good plan.

Personal question: Are you a web developer / coder? I’m curious how much of what you’re building is stuff you’re building yourself vs hiring out / outsourcing. If you are a developer, that’s awesome, always good to see a fellow dev build a platform that starts to get some traction.

Anyway, sounds…

In reply to - Modeltrainmedia posted an update

Dear Model Train Enthusiasts,

First and foremost, I want to thank everyone wholeheartedly for all the valuable feedback. Your input is the engine that drives this platform. […]

BMR777 posted a new activity comment

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:50:29 +0100

I think it would be cool to have a section where you could post real train / prototype photos and videos, since railfanning is closely related to model railroading. I think you would also need a way to filter that content on / off though so as a user you could see it or not if you wanted to.

Also, I would suggest investing in the website…

In reply to - Modeltrainmedia posted an update

Hey guys Oscar here,

I have been thinking about a few different ideas to improve Model Train Media. First of all I really want to thank you for all the support so far. I really […]

BMR777 posted a new activity comment

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 17:44:17 +0100

I picked up a Menards O Scale starter set for around the Christmas tree a couple of years ago. I am impressed with the quality, it is just as good if not better than the Lionel set I had as a child.

You’re not going to get ultra-realistic with Menards’ O Scale offerings, but they’re great for affordability and classic toy train type fun… Read more

In reply to - HoosierRailroader posted an update

Anybody here tried Menards trains? Seems like a nice way to get into O scale to me. Curious to hear your […]

BMR777 posted an update: I've been working on a 4ft by 2ft shelf layout diorama […]

Sat, 25 Oct 2025 21:51:26 +0200

I’ve been working on a 4ft by 2ft shelf layout diorama to get back into the hobby after almost a decade away. I’m using it to practice scenery techniques and learn new ones like applying static grass.

Here are some photos of my progress so far:

BMR777 posted a new activity comment

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 17:57:19 +0200